


stay with me

by ComicBooksBro



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Crying Castiel (Supernatural), Crying Sam Winchester, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Hurt Dean Winchester, I'm Bad At Titles, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Not Beta Read, but it's good I promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:14:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25228150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ComicBooksBro/pseuds/ComicBooksBro
Summary: Dean does something he's been meaning to do for a while.He just wishes it was under different circumstances.
Relationships: Castiel & Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Castiel & Sam Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	stay with me

**Author's Note:**

> I tried?

Dean entered the War Room, stretching his arms over his head. Sam was already awake, tapping away at his laptop, ‘so get this’ face in full force.

“Case?”

“Yeah. Whole family just disappears one day. Sulfur, strange smoke, omens; looks like demons. It’s pretty woodsy, but close enough to check out. What do you think?” Sam turned his laptop to show Dean the article. A picture of the farm sprawled across the screen, the headline below proclaiming what Sam had already told him. Minus the demonic stuff, of course.

“I’ll call Cas.”

***

‘Woodsy,’ Dean discovered, was an understatement. The farm was miles from the rest of the small town, but the family’s house was even further out. It had been ransacked, burned in places, and there were traces of sulfur everywhere. There had been demons here, and a lot of them, but they were gone.

Not ones to give up, the Winchesters decided to check the barn.

It wasn’t far from the house, maybe a quarter of a mile. It might have held horses once, but the barn was empty now, save for some hay and an eerie silence. A dark presence hung in the air like poison, and the smell of rotten eggs swamped the building. They were at the dead center of demon ground zero. Dean adjusted his grip on his angel blade.

“Come on out, you nasty sons of bitches!”

***

They had been reckless, they should have done more research, had backup—had _something_ Sam didn’t know what had happened, except one minute Dean was putting demons down with sharp efficiency, and bleeding out on the floor the next.

Dean had curled into himself in the far corner of the barn and Sam could see blood pooling on the ground beneath him. Castiel was crouched next to Dean, hands anxiously fluttering from Dean’s shoulder to his cheek and back again. Thankfully, Castiel seemed unharmed. He should be able to heal Dean— ease his pain, at least a little bit, but he couldn’t. Because Castiel was human, horribly, painfully, _human._

Dean was bleeding to death in from of him and he couldn’t do _anything._

Sam was frozen, unable to tear his eyes from the scene in front of him. His legs felt like they were made of jelly as he forced himself to stumble towards his brother and Castiel. The blood wasn’t slowing and Castiel was shaking as he tried to stop it. Town was almost an hour away, and a proper hospital was even further.

“Grab Dean,” he said, running for the barn doors. “I’ll pull the car around and maybe we can get to a hospital in time.” Sam reached the doors and started banging against the heavy wood. _Locked_ , he realized, heart freezing in his throat. He took a deep breath and started hacking at the door with his angel blade. Castiel pulled Dean’s limp form into his arms and stood. Dean coughed again and let his head fall onto Castiel’s arm.

“Sam, stop.” Dean slurred, trying to lift an arm and reach out to his brother.

“What?” Sam turned around, shocked. “Dean, no; I can break down the door. We’ll get you to a hospital. It’s gonna be okay.” Sam said the last part so quietly Castiel almost didn’t hear it, like he was assuring himself. Dean felt heavy in Castiel’s arms: heavy, tired, and bloody. He was going to die. Dean was going to die and there was nothing he could do.

Maybe at one point he could have healed Dean, or at least eased the suffering a little. But he couldn’t. He’s not enough.

He’s never been enough.

“We’re hours from anything, I’ll be dead by the time we get anywhere.” Dean said, struggling weakly in Castiel’s arms. He coughed and spat up blood on his jacket. Castiel winced in sympathy. “Cas, please, put me down. We can’t make it in time and you know that!” Castiel knew moving Dean could do more harm than good, and even if they kept Baby’s pedal pressed to the floor they wouldn’t make it to the hospital in time.

But they could still try, they _had_ to try, because if there was ever a sliver of a _whisper_ of a chance to save Dean, Castiel would take it. 

“There’s still time, Dean! We can-“

 _"Please,_ Cas.” Dean whispered, almost whimpering. “I just wanna rest.” He murmured, looking up at Castiel with glazed, half closed eyes.

Castiel tried to protest, but the words stuck in his throat. He glance at Sam, who was still stabbing at the door, but not making progress. Dean grabbed weakly at Castiel’s arm. “Please.”

Castiel lowered Dean back to the floor, keeping him close as Sam ceased his useless attack on the door and slid to the floor. Dean’s eyes were glazed with pain and blood is still sluggishly pulsed from his abdomen. Grimacing, Dean reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

It was small, small enough for it to be completely hidden in Dean’s hand, and he was gripping it so tightly his knuckles turned white. He looked nervous. Dean coughed and spat another mouthful of blood onto the ground.

“Cas?” He asked in a blood-choked voice as he passed the mystery object from his palm to his fingers. He was trying to be sneaky, but Castiel still noticed the subtle movement.

It was a ring.

Castiel’s heart shattered.

“Yes, Dean?” His voice was thick, his eyes glued to Dean’s. Castiel doesn’t think he ever realized how stunningly _green_ Dean’s eyes are, and now he’ll never get the chance to tell Dean that— never get the chance to tell Dean _anything_ again, because Dean is _dying_ and Castiel can’t save him. A tear dripped onto Dean’s bloodstained jacket, then a second, a third, a fourth. _Get it together,_ Castiel thought bitterly, trying to blink away tears.

 _Focus on the green,_ he told himself. _Focus on the spark of life still there._

He doesn’t want to think about what will happen when that spark goes out.

Dean coughed again, which quickly turned into a hack that shook his entire body and splattered blood in elaborate patterns on the floor. Castiel froze in horror and held his breath; Sam couldn’t do anything but watch. Dean finished his coughing fit and lifted a shaky hand to Castiel’s face to brush uselessly at his tears.

“You with me, buddy?” He asked, voice husky from coughing, and shaking with pain. Castiel nodded. Dean retracted his hand. “Okay, good. Stay with me.” Castiel’s wanted to scream; Dean shouldn’t need to say that to him. Castiel should be the one comforting Dean, telling him it’s gonna be okay, that he just needed to hold on. Castiel had never felt so weak— so _useless_.

Dean held the ring as steadily as he could in front of Castiel. It was a sad attempt, and Castiel couldn’t stop the tears that fall onto Dean’s shirt. Dean opened his mouth to speak, but the only result was another wet cough.

“Cas? Will--“ he coughed again, “will you—“

“Yes,” Castiel whispered, fighting back tears. Dean smiled weakly, and Castiel let out a quiet, hiccuping sob. Dean clumsily grabbed Castiel’s left hand with his free one and slipped the ring onto his finger. It fit perfectly. Castiel could feel Dean shaking and grabbed his hand to steady him. Dean let out a pained laugh.

“I’d kiss you,” he whispered, “but my mouth is filled with blood.” Castiel sobbed again, pulling Dean as close as he could without hurting him. Dean rested his head against Castiel’s chest, his legs splayed out to the side. Dean spat more blood on the ground, coughed again, and suddenly he was laughing—hysterical, body-shaking laughter. Then Castiel started laughing, too, and then Sam, and soon the room was filled with crazy, echoing laughs.

After a moment they fell silent again, and the weight of the situation returned. Sam squeezed his eyes shut and pulled his fingers through his sweaty hair. A harsh sob shuddered from between his teeth.

“Congratulations,” he stuttered, rubbing tears from his eyes. Castiel whispered his thanks and Dean smiled tiredly.

“I finally did it, Sammy,” Dean rasped, turning his gaze up to Castiel. “Finally did it,” he murmured, still looking at Castiel, though it looked like he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.

“Took you long enough,” Sam choked around the lump in his throat.

“Bitch.”

“Jerk.”

They stayed quiet after that, even though there was so much left unsaid— too much for the time they had left. The silence was deafening, punctuated only by Dean’s ragged breathing and Sam and Castiel’s poorly stifled crying.

Then the only sound was crying.

Castiel screamed.

**Author's Note:**

> :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Comments and kudos appreciated!


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